I have already written a bit on this comparison before, but that was before the launch of the iPod Video. Now that it is finally out it is much easier to compare the specs between the two to see how they match up.

Video Content

With Sony’s PSP you have a growing collection of UMD movies to purchase, which gives you a great option for portable movie watching. In contrast, with the video iPod you are able to download over 2,000 music videos along with select TV shows at the cost of just $1.99.

Also there is nothing stopping Apple from being able to distribute movies from the iTunes Store in the future at a low cost of $9.99 for example and therefore putting the PSP at a huge disadvantage. Also keep in mind that since the iPod uses an internal hard drive for its storage movies can be swapped out from your computer with ease without having to worry about carrying any discs with you. This is important since you are dealing with a limited amount of storage although I am sure you can add quite a bit of movies on a 60GB hard drive.

The advantage that the PSP has in this matchup is that it has a larger screen, but this also means a larger physical footprint.

Images

Much of what was said with regards to video also applies to images on both devices. However, it can be assumed with the PSP you would have the capability of transferring photos from a Sony Digital Camera if you so desired assuming it uses Sony’s proprietary memory format.

Music

Is this really even a comparison? With the iPod you are open to the whole iTunes library and depending on the size of your iPod enough music to last you a couple of days. Although the PSP offers music functionality it is greatly limited to the size of the memory stick which become very expensive as they increase in size. Also if you have used an iPod with the iTunes Music Store you are already well aware of how simple moving music files in and out of the iPod is.

Finally

So which is the best device to use as a portable multimedia device? Of course this decision should come only after knowing what you intend to use it for. If it’s games you are looking for then there is no contest. The PSP is first and foremost a gaming device and therefore trumps the iPod in that department.

If you are going to use the device for mainly listening to music then you should definitely go with the iPod.